Joy for FCB seven

Gomez on target as Germans warm up with win

Created on 01-06-2012 at 00:00 AM

A Germany starting line-up featuring no fewer than seven Bayern players concluded their warm-up programme for next week’s Euro 2012 with a 2–0 victory over Israel in Leipzig on Thursday evening. Nine days ahead of the continental showdown in Poland and Ukraine, Mario Gomez handed the home side a half-time lead, before substitute André Schürrle added a second eight minutes from time.

The FCB contingent were absent for last Saturday's 5–3 defeat to Switzerland, but Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Holger Badstuber, Philipp Lahm, Toni Kroos, Thomas Müller and Gomez all started against the side lying 58th in the world ranking. Bastian Schweinsteiger sat out the match with a calf problem.

Initial struggles

“We want to show we can do much better than we did against Switzerland," team manager Oliver Bierhoff declared prior to kick-off. The Germans certainly looked a different proposition at the back, as the Bayern trio plus Per Mertesacker of Arsenal prevented the toothless Israelis letting off a single shot in the first half. Neuer was initially a mere spectator in the pouring rain.

However, the visitors pulled every man back and the home side struggled for openings. Boateng came closest to opening the scoring, but the woodwork denied the defender his first goal in a national jersey when his left-foot thunderbolt struck the post on 19 minutes.